Fewer Canadians paying down their mortgages

A new CIBC poll finds there has been a significant decrease in the number of Canadians using the low interest rates to pay down their mortgages faster.  

While over half of Canadians with mortgages (55 per cent) are taking one or more actions to pay their mortgages down sooner, a similar poll last year had the figure at 68 per cent. However, while the numbers increasing payment value or frequency has dropped, there is an increase in the numbers making a lump-sum repayment. The new report also says that Canadians are expecting to be 58 years old before they are mortgage-free. 

So, if we’re not paying down out home loans, where is any spare money going? The report has shown a large increase in spending on home renovations (up 30 per cent) and vacations (up 20 per cent).

"A mortgage is the largest debt most Canadians will take on in their lifetime, and being mortgage-free is an important goal for many," says Barry Gollom, Vice President, Secured Lending and Product Policy, CIBC.  "With current low interest rates, this may be an opportune time to make progress against your mortgage - even a few small changes can make a big difference in the length of time it takes to pay off your mortgage and the amount you pay in interest charges."

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